He has remained in Brazil since learning of Ibrahim's death on Thursday and says Kolo is being a rock for him.

"At one point, we thought about leaving Brazil for Manchester to see Ibrahim one last time," he said. "But our father advised against it and we listened.

"Luckily, I have Kolo with me. More than once, he has played big brother to me, finding the words to comfort me, keep me strong, talk to me.

"For sure, doctors had left me with very little hope when I had left for the World Cup. During those days, he could not even respond to my calls, he was so tired.

"I also felt that brother Ismael and my sister Aicha, who had stayed with him in Manchester, were not telling me everything the last few days. Despite that, in these cases we always try and hold on to a miracle.

"The news came as a huge shock because I was very close to him. We spent two years apart, but we were very close. As kids we always stuck together and we played in the famous local tournaments that were never-ending.

"I wonder how I'll cope without him. I know that I will no longer be able to hear him, sense him, see him, this feels awful, especially when you're thousands of kilometres away."